Shāh Khalīlullāh III

Who was Shāh Khalīlullāh III?

Shāh Khalīlullāh III was the 45th Imam of the Nizari Ismaili Shia community. In 1792 he succeeded his father Abū-l-Ḥasan ‘Alī ibn Qāsim ‘Alī, for whom he was his eldest son. He moved the seat of the Imamate from Kirman to Kahak, Qom, from where he led for 20 years. His name of Shah Khalil Allah was a Ni'matullāhī Sufi name, which reflected the close relationship between the Nizaris and Ni'matullāhīs. In 1815 Shāh Khalīlullāh moved to Yazd in order to be closer to his Indian followers.